Norman Robinson Retiring From WDSU

Norman Robinson is retiring from WDSU, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans. His final broadcast will be May 30.

“We have been honored to have Norman as a colleague and friend for nearly a quarter-century and we congratulate him on his remarkable achievements and his well-earned retirement,” WDSU president and general manager Joel Vilmenay said in a statement. “We are pleased that he will continue to make contributions through partnerships and appearances in the years ahead.”

Robinson has worked at WDSU since 1990. Last year, he scaled back his duties, stepping away from the 10 p.m. anchor desk but continuing to anchor the 6 p.m. newscast.

“I am filled with bittersweet emotions, but happy to turn the page to a new chapter in my life. Most of all I have been lucky enough to fulfill my lifelong dream to become a news anchor in the city I love,” Robinson sad. “For that, I am most grateful.”

Read WDSU’s official announcement after the jump.

New Orleans, La., May 12, 2014 – WDSU News anchor Norman Robinson will deliver his final 6 p.m. newscast on May 30, at which time he will retire following a distinguished career in broadcasting.

Robinson will, however, continue his relationship with WDSU-TV through periodic appearances, beginning with a featured role in the 2014 Children’s Hospital Telethon, taking place May 31 and June 1 and broadcast on WDSU-TV.

“We have been honored to have Norman as a colleague and friend for nearly a quarter-century and we congratulate him on his remarkable achievements and his well-earned retirement,” said WDSU President and General Manger Joel Vilmenay. “We are pleased that he will continue to make contributions through partnerships and appearances in the years ahead.”

“As I look back over my life, I can’t help but think that I’ve come a long way from Toomsuba, Mississippi,” said Norman Robinson. “I am filled with bittersweet emotions, but happy to turn the page to a new chapter in my life. Most of all I have been lucky enough to fulfill my lifelong dream to become a news anchor in the city I love. For that, I am most grateful

A native of Mississippi but a longtime New Orleans resident, Robinson has spent the past 24 years anchoring newscasts and reporting for WDSU-TV. For the past year, Robinson’s primary responsibilities have involved anchoring the 6 p.m. news and hosting the weekly “Hot Seat” segment that explored topical issues and put tough questions to elected officials and other local leaders.

Robinson’s career in New Orleans dates to 1976, when he arrived in the city as a reporter at WWL-TV. He later served as White House correspondent for CBS News, returning to New Orleans in 1991.

Since that return, Robinson has received acclaim for his work in hosting major political events, such as the nationally broadcast post-Hurricane Katrina mayoral debate, and for his work as an anchor during various storms, the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl season. Robinson has anchored WDSU’s annual coverage of Mardi Gras and has been one of the primary hosts of the station’s Children’s Hospital fundraising events.

In 2012, he was honored by his peers with the Press Club of New Orleans Lifetime Achievement Award.

One year ago, Robinson scaled back his workload, continuing to anchor the 6 p.m. newscast but stepping away from the desk at 10 p.m. He described the move as a preliminary step toward retirement, and announced at that time his intention to anchor his final broadcast about one year later.

He is a veteran of the Marine Corps. Robinson and his wife, Monica, reside in Algiers Point.